Combined parking light and traffic signal



2 Sheets-Sheet ,1

oct; 13, 1925.

A. KERR GOMBINED PARKING LIGHT AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Oct, 3, 1925 v 1,557,064 A. KERR couman PARKING LIGHT Aun 'mmqsmmn Filed oct. s. 1923 "2 sheets-snee: 2

Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,557,064 PATENT oFFicE.

ALEXANDER KERE, E LA GROSSE, WISCONSIN, AssIGNoE or ONE-HALF To A. EIM, Jn., or LA cRossE, WISCONSIN.

COMBINED PARKING LIGHT AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Application mea october 3, 1923. serial No. 666,327.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER KERK, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of lvisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Parking Lights and Traffic Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined traffic signal and parking light for motor vehicles and seeks, among other objects, to provide a device of this character wherein, when a vehicle is being slowed down or stopped, a signal lamp will be projected for warning approaching trafiic.

The invention seeks, as a furthery object, to provide a device of this character wherein 4the signal lamp will be carried by an extensible arm operable by one of the foot pedals of the vehicle so that as the vehicle is slowed down or stopped, the lamp will be coincidently moved by projection of the arm and the signal displayed thus brought to the notice of approaching trafic.

The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide a device wherein, when the signal arm is extended, a circuit will be automatically closed through the signal lamp while, when the arm is collapsed, the circuit through said lamp will be broken.

Another object, in this connection, is to provide a device wherein, when so desired, a circuit may be closed through the signal lamp when the signal arm is collapsed, so that the signal lamp may be used as a parking light.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a device which will be neat and attractive in appearance and which may be readily applied to all conventional makes of motor vehicles.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through my improved device showing the signal arm thereof collapsed,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the signal arm extended,

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-.3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 1 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of oneof the sections of the casing of the device,

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 7--7 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view showing the top sleeve and lever of the signal arm.

In carrying the invention into eEect, I employ a flat oval-shaped casing split medially to form companion sections 10 and 11 provided at their lower ends with mating ears 12 through which extends a cap bolt 13 while cap screws 14 are employed at the upper ends of the sections to cooperate with the bolt 13 for detachably securingthe sections together. In conjunction with the casing, I employ a base plate 15 provided at one end with a lateral lug 16 and fixed at its outer end to said lug is a guide sleeve 17 inwhich is journaled a p-ulley 18. Upstanding from the base plate `are companion angle plates 19 secured to the` base plate by bolts 2O mounting said angle plates to receive the ears 12 of the casing therebetween, and extending through the angle plates between said ears is a bolt 211 pivotally sup-porting the casing, the ears being recessed at their confronting sides to ac'- commodate the latter bolt. vThe device may be mo-unted at any' suitable point upon a motor vehicle and in Figure 3 of the drawings I have sho-wnthe device attached to a rear fender conventionally illustrated at 22. As will be observed, the fender is apertured to receive the guidev sleeve 17 therethrough so that the base plate 15 lies flat against the fender while the bolts 2() are employed to extend through the fender forconnecting the base plate thereto. Thus, the device may be readily applied.

Extending vertically within the casing near the rear edge thereof is a rod 23 seated at its ends in mating recesses in the abutting edges of the sections and -extending through the upper end of the -rod between the sections is a pin 24 locking the rod in position. Fixed to the lower end of the rod is a split sleeve 25 secured to the rod by a pin 26 and having spaced ears 27. Slidable upon the rod is an elongated split sleeve 28 having spaced ears 29 and pivotally -secured'between the ears 27 and 29 of the sleeves is an eX- tensible signal arm 3Q of lazy tongue structure. At the forward edge of the casing, the sections thereof are cut away 'to define' a slot 3l to freely receiye thehsignal arm therethrough and surroiiiidli'ng the rod 23 to b'ear between the sleeves 25 a-ndv28 is aA spring 32 urging the sleeve 28 upwardly upon the rod for collapsing they armi within thecasing.

Connected-to tl'ieaijni at its outer/,end is a cylindrical lamp casing 33 provided at one sidev with a lug134 received between the adjacent ends of the outermost links of th-e arm 3() and extending through said links yand through the flug is a rivet or other suitable fastening device 3 5 -pivotallyconnecting the casing with the arifn.v Piv'oted upon the lowermost of said linksV is a rocker arm 36 connected at onel Vend with. y.the uppermost of said links by a link 37. Proj ecting from thelower side of the lamp "casing is alug 38 and extending between said lug and the opposte end of said arm 'is a link 39. Thus,as will be seen, as `the signal arm" is extended or .collapsed the lamp casing 33 will be rocked upon the arm to maintain saidc'asing at substantiallyl a constant level -and, as

. brought out in Figure l, the casing is indent- Cil ed at its forwardedge to f orn'il a concave seat .40 for 'the casing when the signal arm is collapsed. Removably fitting in the casing 33 at 'its ends are rings 4l secured by c'ap screws. 42 a'nd mounted on said rings are transparent closures 43 for the ends of the casing,'on`e of said closures rbeing frosted to show a white light toward 'the front of the -vehicle and the other being tinted to y'show a red light toward the rea-r of the vehicle. Mounted 'in lthe casing is a semi-'circular socket 44 supported by a block 45 of suitable insulating 'material and formed on the cas# ing-beneath vsaid socket'is'a sleeve 46 'slid'ably mounting a spring pressed plunger 47 to engagejthe base of a 'lampi '48 Vaccominodated in the socket, lthe plunger :forming an electrical ground for the lamp.

vlPiv'otally connected with 'thesle'eife '28 isa lever 49 embodying a yoke 50 which yis 'form'edto straddle the -ears 29 of said sleeve and 'extending through 'the ends of theiyoke andA 'aide'ars is a pin 5l pi'vot'ally mounting 'the/lever, it being observed that the'lever is offset to clear the spring 32 upon the rod 23. The yoke is `thus mounted, to cooperate with the adjacei'iti-nnerinost link ofthe arm V30 and 'formed in the lower end ofthe yoke said`- link is arotch 52 whilea short tie `engagement'with thelink. Connected to tlie 'lever 'at 'its rearfend is :ai cord or cable, 54

V"wli'i'ch'is arranged' to extend vrover the rpulley 18 through the guide sleeve 17 and threaded through the section 10 of the casing vat its lower end to extend between the casing and 'said pulley is a guide tube 55 for the cable. At its foiwvfard` end', the cable is -connected with ln`e fof the ope-rating pedals of the vehicle as,-fo1linstance, thevbrake pedal, conventionally illustrated in' 'Figure 3 at 56.

Detachably mounted upon the side wall of lthe section 11 f vthe casing is a pair of in sulating blocksz57 and clamped betweensaid pair of blocksy is a plurality of spring contacts 58, '59 and 60, notched atopposite sides thereof, as shown in detail inFigure 7, to seat inl suitable slots in the blocks. The'contact' 59 Vnormally,engages at its upper end with the upper end of lthe contact 60 `while the contact 5 8 `rnormally engages `with lthe Contact 59 and formed in Lthecontact 59 ,near the upper end thereof is yan offset 61. Connected to the lower ends ofthe contacts 58 and 60 are feed wires 6,2 and 63 and extending between the lower end of the contact 59 and the lamp socket 444` is a wire 64. The wires 62 and 63lead from a battery or Vother suitable source of electrical energy upon the vehicle, and an 'appropriate swiftfcln not shown, is interposed in thecircuit of `'the wire 62 so that in 'the'day time said circuit may be broken. Formed on the casing section ll. is lug '65 accommodating a cap screw 6G and connected 'with the lug by said sc'rew is a groundljead 67. Mounted upon one of the ears of theI sleeve 28 for vertical movement between the `contacts 59 and 60 is al'post 68, ,said post being in the nature of a slieeve'of suitable insulatingmaterial, and vextending throughsaid sleeve is a cap screw 69 threaded into said ear for rigidly mounting the sleeve'. g l L As will now be seen in view, the proc'eding description,- when the pedal' 56 is rocked forwardly for slowing down or stop- .pingA the vehicle, the lever v49V will, as shown in Figure 2, berockedfso thattlie yoke 5() of said lever will be caused to bear'against theadjacent innermost link ofthe arm 3() while a downward.y pull will coincidently be coiiimifinicatcdjto the sleeve 28 for shifting said sleeve downwardly upon the rod and projecting the. signal arm from the casing. As brought out in llligure 4, the post 68 will normally stand between the contacts 59 and 60 so thatl when the signal arm is collapsed, `the lcircuit through the i lamp 48 will be broken. However, when the sleeve 28 is shifted downwardly for rprojecting the signal arm, as just described,

the post will be moved downwardly from between thenpper ends ofsaidcontacts so that, coincident with the projection of the arm, the contacts 59 and 60 will move into engagement vwith. each other for closing the circuit through the signallan'ip. Union the release of the pedal 56, the spring 32will,

of course, immediately function'tocollapse lil tlt)

the signal arm and retract the signal lamp and, as the post 68 returns upwardly between the contacts 59 and 60, said post will engage the offset 61 of the contact 59 for separating the contacts and breaking the circuit through the signal lamp. Since the signal lamp will thus be normally extinguished, l provide the spring contact 58 in conjunction with the contact 59 in order that, at night, the signal lamp may be used as a parking light. To thus use the signal lamp, the switch in the circuit of the wire 62 is closed when current will flow through said wire and through the contact 58 to the contact 59 and thence through thewire 64 to the lamp, the contact 58 being at all times engaged with the Contact 59 so that the signal lamp will remain energized regardless of the movement of the post 68.

Having thus 'described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A traffic signal including a casing having a seat, a signal arm mounted in the cas'` ing and extensible to project therefrom, a lamp housing carried by said arm, means for extending the arm, and means for collapsing the arm within the casing and shifting said lamp housing to rest in said seat exposed at the exterior of the casing.

2. A trafic signa-l including a casing having a slot therein and formed at said slot with an indentation providing a seat, a signal arm mounted in the casing and extensible to project through said slot, a lamp housing carried by the arm, means for extending the arm, and means for collapsing the arm to lie entirely within the casing supporting the lamp housing to rest in said seat exposed exteriorly of the. casing.

3. A traffic signal including a casing, a signal arm mounted therein and extensible to project from the casing, said arm being formed of a plurality of crossed pivotally connected links, a lamp housing pivotally connected to the outermost links of said arm, a rocker arm mounted upon one of said outermost links, a link connecting one end of said rocker arm with the lamp housing, and alink connecting the opposite end of said rocker arm with the other of said outermost links of thek signal arm whereby when the signal arm is extended said rocker arm will be swung for maintaining the lamp housing' at asubstantially constant position with respect to the pivotal center thereof.

4. A traiiic signal including a casing, an extensible signal arm mounted therein and formed of a plurality of crossed pivotally connected links, means fixedly supporting one of the links at the inner end of the arm, means movably supporting the other of the links at the inner end of the arm, and means pivoted upon said second mentioned means and movable to coact with the latter link for extending the arm.

5. A traffic signal including a casing, an extensible signal arm mounted therein and formed of a plurality of crossed pivotally connected links, means fixedly supporting one of the links at the inner end of the arm, means movably supporting the other of the links at the inner end of the arm, and a lever pivoted upon said second mentioned means and movable to coact with the latter link for extending the arm.

6. A traffic signal including a casing, an extensible signal arm mounted therein and formed of a plurality of crossed pivotally connected links, means fixedly supporting one of the links at the inner end of the arm, reciprocable means movably supporting the other of the links at the inner end of the arm, and means pivotally mounted upon said second mentioned means to coact with the latter link at the inner end of the arm for extending the arm.

7. A traffic signal including a casing, an extensible signal arm mounted therein and formed of a plurality of crossed pivotally connected links, means iixedly supporting one of the links at the inner end of the arm, reciprocable means movably supporting the other of the links at the inner end of the arm, and a lever pivotally mounted upon said second mentioned means to coact with the latter link at the inner end of the arm for extending the arm.

8. A traffic signal including a casing, a rod mounted therein, a sleeve fixed upon the rod, a sleeve slidable upon the rod, a signal arm formed of a plurality of crossed pivotally connected links having one of the links at. the inner end thereof connected to said first mentioned sleeve and the other of the links at the inner end thereof connected to said second mentioned sleeve, a spring bearing between said sleeves tending to separate the sleeves for retracting the arm, and a lever embodying a yoke pivoted upon said second mentioned sleeve to bear against the rear edge of the latter link at the inner end of the arm for swinging such link to extend the arm while shifting the movable sleeve toward the fixed sleeve.

9. A traffic signal including a casing provided with an opening and formed of mating sections having abutting edges, means securing said sections together, a rod accommodated between the sections at the abutting edges thereof, a signal arm supported on said rod and extensible to project through said opening, and means for extending said arm. v

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALEXANDER KERR. [L s] 

